Big Ideas for Young Thinkers: 25 Questions About Life and the Universe by Jamia Wilson

Author:Jamia Wilson [Wilson, Jamia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780711249202
Google: YTDKDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group UK
Published: 2020-03-03T00:16:53.681523+00:00

Historically, many questions about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ have been rooted in discussions about whether God and an afterlife exists (see here): for example, are there everlasting consequences for our actions on Earth? Discussion also revolves around whether people have ‘free will’ – the ability to choose their actions. If people can’t make decisions freely, the idea is that their actions shouldn’t be rewarded as ‘good’ or judged as ‘bad.’

In countries where laws came from Western philosophy, the law assumes that free will exists for all and that the courts will make judgements with this in mind. This is why laws related to children are often different, because questions arise about the extent to which people should be held responsible for their actions when their brains are still developing and they are still learning right from wrong.

You may be wondering whether some things are always simply right or wrong, no matter what the context. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (read more about it shown here) asserts that all human beings have a birthright to certain ‘human rights’ or freedoms throughout their lives, and that violating these rights is always wrong.

So, are people as responsible for actions we consider ‘wrong’ if they are following the legal and moral values that their society sees as ‘right’? There were still people who opposed and fought the horrors of slavery when it was considered normal and legal. If people have free will to stand against laws that violate people’s rights, is it fair to judge them for not doing this? German philosopher Immanuel Kant said, ‘May you live your life as if the maxim of your actions were to become universal law.’ How do you want to live your life? What wrongs do you think should be made right in the world? What issues and injustices might future generations wonder why we let continue?

ANGELA DAVIS

(1944— )

American scholar, author, and activist

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